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LONDON — British scientists have identified the first biomarker, or biological signpost, for
clinical depression and say it could help find boys in particular who are at risk of developing the
debilitating mental illness.

In a study in the
Proceedings of the National Academies of Science journal, the team found that teenage boys
who have a combination of depressive symptoms and raised levels of the stress hormone cortisol are
up to 14 times as likely to develop major depression as those who show neither trait.

The findings suggest teenagers could be screened for such signals, and those at highest risk
could be helped to develop coping strategies and “brain fitness” to help them avoid depression.

“We’re very bad about looking after our mental health, and yet the problems of mental health are
extremely common,” said Cambridge University neuropsychology professor Barbara Sahakian, who worked
on the study.

“Depression is one of the greatest global burdens of disease — it’s a much bigger problem than
heart disease or cancer, and it’s much more expensive.”